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G. L. WITSIL. Clay Washer and Grinder.

Patent ed July 13, 18820 INVENTOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. L. WITSIL. Clay Washer and Grinder.

No. 229,932. Paten dJu |y I3,l880.'

.. i mvsmun MW"ULBUTTDRNEY 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

t 1 4Sheets-Sheet 3. G. L. WITSIL.

. Clay Washer and Grinder. I v No. 229,932.

Patented July 13, 1880.

ATORNEY @JNVENTOR I M I G. L. 'WITSIL; Ola y Was h e r an d Grin dr; NO. 229,932.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Patented July 13, 188 0.

ATTORNEIY p frame and screws, whereby a rotary N -D. STATES PATE T Orr cn.

GEORGE 1.. wtrsiL, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSI-GNOB. TO

1 THOMAS L. BATES AND BURGESS A. HINES,

OF SAME PLACE.

CLAY WASHER AND GRINDER.

srncrrtca'rroiv forming part of .LettersiPatent No. 229,932, dated. m 13, 1880.

' Application filed December c, 1819.

To all ivliom it may concern Be itknown that I, GEORGE Philadelphia,

and State of Pennsylvania,

L. WtTsIL, of

have invented cer- I 5 tain new and useful Improvements in Clay and I do hereby de- Washers and Grinders clare the following tobej a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in machines for washing and grinding clay, the object being to provide a machine constructed and adapted to impart both rotary and as: ceuding and descending currents to the clay and water placed. in the machine, and thus operate to thoroughly wash the clay and sepathe combination, with imparted. to the clay-mixture. by the rotary frame and screws, .and ascendingand descending currentsi;prodlicedl byi the-.i'otation of the 4 right and ,left,. handed screws.

0 parts,

. 5 tion. Fig. dis a view,

My invention further consists in the several I details 301: iconstruction and combinations of as will hereinafter be described, and pointed out in the claims.

- In the accompanying drawings,';Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of my improved clay washing and grinding machine. Fig. 2 is a tacle broken away to show the inside of the machine. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 is a detached view of the rotary frame and right and left hand screws. Fig. 5 is a vertical secin vertical section, of

in the county of Philadelphia and inner receptacles of to make and use it, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of outer site ends of the screw-shafts H H, the latter per ends, said purposes desired and to this end my -in,ven-- and grinding current is I upwardly mi -1ture to how downwardly,

side elevation with a portion of the clay-reeepa modified form of construction for adapting the machine for grindingclay; and Fig. 7 is of a modification.

respectively, the outer the machine, which arranged to form an ina view, in perspective, A and B represent,

areeonst-rueted and tervenin g space, 0.

To the upper end, a, secured an annular flange, cogs b on its inner edges.

E is a shaft having its lower end supported in a step, c, and its upper end journaled in a of the receptacles A B is D, having teeth or of the machine, the upper end of the sh aft naving a crank, F, secured thereto,- evident that it may be provided. with a gear.-

though it is cross-baror-spider, d, secured to the upper end wheel to render the' machine adapted for operation by any suitable motive power.

, To the upper and lowerends of the shaft E are secured the transverse bars G, within the ends of which are ournaled the oppohavin g pinions I I rigidly secured to their upor engage with the teeth on the inner edge-of the annular flange ,or rim D a Screw-shaftsH H are furnished with a righthand screw, K, and a left-hand screw,- K.

pinions being arranged to mesh 4 When the shaft E'is rotated it, operates to rotate the transverse bars .G, thereby rotating the right and left hand screws K the medium ,of. the pinions I I and internallytoothed rim or flange. D.. The screws and transverse bars serve to impart a rotary eurrentto the clay-mixture within the receptacle, while the right-hand screwforces and.. theleft-hand screw causes the clay is most thoroughly separated and washed andpebbles or otherhard substances embedded therein allowed to fall to the bottom of, the chin V As heretofore stated, an intervening space, 0, is formed between the inner and outer recept-acles, and this space is subdivided into the mixture K, through i and thus the I any desired number of chambers by means of the annular partitions M. The inner receptacle connects with each one of the chambers L L L by passages l l P, the latter being covered by wire-gauze N, or equivalent-material,

IOU

to prevent any coarse substance from entering either one of said annular chambers. Each of said chambers L L L is provided'with a discharge-conduit, O, the flow through which may be regulated by a stop-cock, O, or bya gate.

Pipes or conduits empty into shallow troughs for spreading the pulverized and washed claiy, thatthe water contained therein may be quickly evaporated.

desired number Within the lower portion of the inner recap-- false bottom, P, having any of openings or passages Q formed in its periphery, the falsebottom being raised a sufiicient distance above the bottom Q of the outer receptacle to form an intervening space, B, into which stones and peb bles will fall, and be removed through the opening S, which may be closed by'any construction'of door, lid, or grate. In. the operationof my improved machine water and clay are emptied into the inner vessel, and, rotary motion being imparted to the screws, the clay rotary. action of tacle is placed a the screws and screw-shafts as they are rotated within the-tub or receptacle, and also have reverse currents formed by the right andleft hand, screws, the former operating to force the mixture in an upward direction and the latter through adownward course, whereby the water is, thoroughly intermingled with the cl ay and operates to separate the finer and coarser particles thereof.- The coarse pebbles and stones, falling by gravity to the lower portion of the receptacle, drop through the openings in the false bottom into the lower chamber, from whence they may be readily removed whenever necessary ordesirable. The remaining portion of the mixture subdivides itself in the vessel according to its relative gravity, the very finest and lightest portion thereof being situated at the top of the vessel, from whence it is drawn off into the upper chamber, D, and from thence to any suitable dryingrreceptacle. That portion of the mixture which may be termed as of a second or intermediate degree of fineness will descend'by its relative gravitylto the central portion of the vessel, from whence it flows into the'chamber L, and is discharged therefrom into any separate and suitz ible'receptacle. The heaviest and coarsest portion of: the mixture descends to the lower portion of the vessel and enters chamber L, and is dischargedtherefrom into a suitable trough or receptacle.

When it'is desired tosubject the clay to attrition, to grind the'particles thereof, radial wings T may be secured to the inner vessel,

and water are subjected to the In this construction and arrangement of parts the rotary shafts are provided with bev el-gear wheels t, which en gage with corresponding bevel-gear wheels 1! on the shafting U;

The inner vessels, B, are placed in an elongated vessel, V, which is subdivided into any desired number of separate chambers, as hereinbefore described, for discharging the difierent grades of washed clay. v

As many slight changes in the construction and relative arrangement of the several parts of my machine may be resorted to without departing from the spiri would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction and arrangement ot'parts shown and described.

I amawarc that machines have been provided with screws attachedto revolving shafts, the latter provided with pinions meshing with astatiouary rack, and hence I make no broad said screws, substan- 2. The combination, with the washing mechforated. false bottom and lower chamber for pebbles and stones, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the washing mechanism, constructed and arranged substantially as set forth, of the inner andouter vessels or receptacles provided with separate and independent chambers, having inlet and outlet openings and chamber formed between the bottom of the inner receptacle, and a false bottom placed therein, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that -I claim the foregoing 1 handthis 2d day of Dehave hereunto set my cember,1879. y

' GEO. L. WITSILQ Witnesses: I

F. O. MOCLEARY, E. I. NOTTINGHAM.

claim to such construction or combination of and gearing for imanism, substantially as described, of the per- 

